Folding bed



P 7, 1960 P. FLEISCHER 2,953,792

FOLDING BED Filed Oct. 1, 1959 JNVENTOR. 6 PAUL FLEISCHER Mm km ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 27, 1960 FOLDING BED Paul Fleischer, 23540 Shaker Blvd, Shaker Heights, Ohio Filed Oct. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 843,703

10 Claims. (Cl. -9)

This invention relates generally to folding beds or bunks and more particularly to certain improvements in the structure for supporting and folding one or more of such beds arranged in a vertically spaced or tiered relationship.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide an improved tiered bed arrangement which is foldable against a wall when it is not in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a folding bed structure incorporating counter-balance means for easy manipulation of the bed to its respective positions of use and non-use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a folding bed structure which is easily dissassembled for purposes of economicalpackaging and transport.

Still another object of my inveniton is to provide an improved pivotal arrangement for the support members of a folding bed structure.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a double-decker folding bunk structure embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bunks of Fig. 1 in closed or folded position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing details of the pivotal arrangement.

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig; 1 and showing elements of the telescopic tubular structure.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the rear of the bunk frame, as indicated by line 66 on Fig. 2, showing the counter-balancing member.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 88 of Fig. 1 showing the mounting of the swivel support bars.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a bed frame 10 pivotally supported on ground-engaging standards or posts 11 and 12 which may be sufficient length or height to support an upper frame 10 above the lower frame to provide a double-decker bunk. Additional frames 10 can be mounted at still higher levels, but, the structure and principles of my invention can be readily unden stood by reference to only two such frames, although the invention is not limited to such number.

The frame 10 is made up of tubular members; this being dwirable both from the standpoint of decreasing weight and for purposes of ready assembly and disassembly. However, other forms of frame members, such as bars, angles, channels, and the like of wood, metal or resin might "also be used if desired. The tubular members are integrated into four assembly units consisting of two like end assemblies 13 and two like side'assemblies 14. Each end unit 13 is of symmetrical generally U-shaped configuration and includes a bottom rail 15; a parallel top rail 16 having the ends 17 thereof bent downwardly into abutment with the rail 15 and secured thereto, as by welding; and a plurality of reinforcing elements 18 extending between the rails 15 and 16 and secured thereto, as by welding. The ends 19 of the lower rail 15 project somewhat beyond the point where the ends 17 of the upper rail 16 are secured thereto. A short stub or dowel 20 is welded to an intermediate portion of each bent end 17 and extends parallel to and substantially coextensive with the end 19 of the lower rail 15.

I prefer that the upper rail 16 be slightly outboard of the vertical plane of the rail 15 so that a moderate taper is provided from the top of the bottom of the end unit 13.

Each side unit 14 includes a lower rail 21, an upper rail 22 parallel thereto and coextensive therewith, and reinforcing elements 23 extending between the rails 21 and 22 and secured thereto, as by welding. The tubular lower rail 21 has an internal diameter or bore of suffiat 90 and terminates in a stud portion 28 of circular cient size to slidably receive the ends 19 of the rail 15 at the opposite ends thereof. The tubular rail 22 has an internal diameter or bore of suflicient size to slidably receive the stubs 20 of the rail 16 at the opposite ends thereof.

The frame 10 is assembled by sliding first one end unit 13 and then the other end unit 13 into the pair of side units 14. Apertures 24 are provided on the lower rail 21 and on the ends 19 of the rail 15 through which any suitable fasteners, such as self-tapping screws, can be inserted, if desired, to prevent relative disengaging movement of the units 13 and 14. However, the fixed posts 12 prevent such movement and the inter-engagement of the telescoping portions. is of sufficientlength' The length of the individual units 13 and 14 is preferably made approximately the same so that, in packaging the frame for shipment, the disassembled frame unitswill conveniently fit in a small carton or box, thus reducing packaging, handling and transportation costs. It

will be noted that the end units 13, by reason of the tapered form thereof, can be nested for shipment thusfurther considerably decreasing the volume of the shipping carton so that the packaged disassembled frame will occupy approximately one-third of the space that would be necessary if the frame 10 were to be shipped as a complete assembly.

The lower rail 15 of each end unit 13 has secured thereto a pair of spaced pivot pnis 25 and 26 for rotatable engagement with the supporting posts 11 and 12. respectively. The form of pivot pin 25 which is provided for the front posts 11 is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. non-circular cross-section, here shown as elliptical (Fig. 4) and tapered. The lower portion of the shank isbent cross-section and reduced diameter, thus providing an abutment or shoulder 29. The stud 28 diametrically traverses the supporting post 11 and is rotatably secured therein by means of a nut 30 secured to the threaded end of the stud.

The upper end of the shank 27 extends diametrically through the rail 15 and is secured therein by a nut 30, secured to the threaded end of the shank. The rail 15. is.. provided with aligned openings 31 and 32 to accommodate the shankand retain it against axial movement relatively It includes an upright shank 27 which is of to the rail 15. The pivot pin 25 thus is free to rotate in the post 11 but is secured against rotation in the rail 15. The shoulder 29 serves to space the post 11 outwardly of the frame, and the tapered shank 27 serves to elevate the frame and maintain it in predetermined spaced relationship to the axis of rotation defined by the stud portion 28.

The pivot pin 26 is in the form of a stud which traverses the rail 15 and the rear post 12 and provides a common axis of rotation diametrically through the elements 12 and 15. Nuts 30 are used to secure the studs 26 in position.

The posts 12 are provided with transverse arms 33 and mounting plates 34 for fixedly securing the posts 12 in spaced relationship to a wall S or other vertical surface adjacent to which the bunks are located.

A heavy plate, of cast iron or the like, which serves as a counter-weight 35, is mounted on the rear side rail unit 14, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The counterweight 35 has grooved or recessed ends 36 which conform to shape and curvature of the ends 17 of rails 16 so that the weight is slidable onto the ends 17 and is thereby retained against movement in a horizontal plane relatively to the frame 10. The lower edge of the weight 35 is also grooved or recessed as at 37 to conform to and rest upon the upper rail 22 of the side unit 14. One or more screws 38 may extend through the rail 22 and into threaded engagement with the weight 35 to prevent inadvertent vertical displacement thereof, although the recesses are adequate to prevent any displacement during normal operation and use. It will be noted (Fig. 2) that the counterweight 35 is so located that it is still in an unstable position when the bunks are folded to their closed position, so that the weight 35 continues to urge the frames to the limit of their closed position and thus, in effect, stabilizes the frames in the closed position.

A mattress M is placed within the frame 10. If this mattress is of the inner-spring variety, it may be supported by a rigid underlying support surface, here shown on the upper frame as a pressed wood sheet 39. The sheet 39 is secured to the lower rails and 21 of the frame 10 by means of clamps 40 which extend partially around the rails and have their free ends 41 extending to the opposite faces of the piece 39 where they are secured by a suitable fastener 42.

If the mattress is to be spring-supported, as indicated in the lower frame 10, a series of spring elements 43 may be stretched across the bottom of the frame and hooked onto the lower rails 15 and 21 to provide a resilient mattress support. As a safety measure, it is also advisable to provide underlying rigid support bars 44 which are removably and pivotally secured to and extend between the rails 21 of the side units 14.

In order to avoid discomfort to the sleeper, the bars 44 are each provided with a central offset portion 45 which is spaced downwardly from the plane of the bottom of the mattress. This spacing accommodates the normal sag in the mattress when it is in use so that the support bars are not sensed by the sleeper. However, in the event of accidental failure of the spings 43 due to overloading or other causes, the mattress will be supported by the bars 44 and thus injury to the sleeper or user can be avoided.

In order that the offset portions 45 of the support bars 44 shall not project beyond the plane of the bed frame when the bunks are in the closed position of non-use, the rods 44 are adapted to be rotated from the projecting position shown in Fig. 1 to a position in which the offset portion 45 rests against the spring elements 43 and thus lies substantially in the plane of the frame rails 15 and 21.

As shown in Fig. 8, the ends of each rod 44 are provided with short studs or pins 46 which are journalled in apertures 47 provided therefor ,in the frame member 15. The rods 44 can then be manually rotated about the axis of the pins 46 to their inward or closed position when the bunks are in the closed or folded position. The olfset portions 45 are free to swing down to the position shown in Fig. 1 when the bunks are lowered to the open position of use. However, if for some reason, the safety bars 44 do not swing freely, the weight of a sleeper and the consequent sag of the mattress will cause the bars to rotate.

The open position of the bunks is shown in phantom outline in Fig. 1. In this position, the frames 10 are supported horizontally 0n the spaced posts 11 and 12 which engage the ground or floor level. The weight of the bunks forward of the pivots 26 is slightly greater than the weight or moment of that portion of the bunks which lies rearward of the pivots 26, so that there is no tendency for the bunks to rotate upwardly when they are in the open position. This weight differential, which is established by the counter-weight 36, is of a relatively small value, e.g. one-half pond, so that only a very slight force is required to raise the beds when they are to be closed.

When the bunks are not in use, they may be raised to a position of parallelism with the adjacent wall surface. Due to the parallelogram linkage arrangement, all the connected bunks will rotate simultaneously in response to the movement of any one bunk. As the frames are rotated upwardly, they are supported by the rear posts 12.

The front posts 11 are elevated and move into abutment with the rear posts 12, as shown in Fig. 2. The offset pivot pins 25 on the posts 11 compensate for the axial spacing between the posts 11 and 12 so that when the posts are abutting, the frames 10 of the lower and upper bunks are all aligned in the same vertical plane in parallelism with the wall surface S.

During the upward pivotal movement of the bunks about the axis of the pivot pin 26, the distribution of the weight of the bunk is gradually changed so that the rear portion of the bunk carrying the counterweight 35 urges the bunk into the closed position and maintains it in such position due to the still unstable condition of the weight 35 when the posts 11 and 12 are abutted. There is thus no tendency for the bunks to oscillate in the closed position and no need for latching devices or the like to secure the bunks against downward rotation.

When the rigid sheet 39 is utilized, it may be painted or otherwise decorated to provide an ornamental efiect when the bunks are in the closed position.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a tiered folding bed structure, the combination of a plurality of generally rectangular bed frames, a first support post pivotally connected to each end of each of said frames inwardly of the sides of said frames and providing an axis of rotation for each frame, a second support post, means pivotally connecting said second post to each end of each frame in parallel spaced relationship to said first support post to support said frames in tiered horizontal planes, said second posts being movable into parallel abutment with said first posts in response to upward rotation of one side of each of said frames about its axis of rotation, and a counterweight carried by each frame adjacent the other side thereof, said counterweight being of -a predetermined mass sufficient to over-balance said frame when said frame is rotated to the limit of movement defined by the abutment of said posts and said mass being insufiicient to over-balance said frame when said frame is counter-rotated to said horizontal plane.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said counterweight is slidably mounted on said other side of said frame.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said bed frames is provided with side rails and said counterweight is slidably mounted on said side rails on said other side of said frame.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said bed frames is provided with side rails and said counterweight is provided with recesses for slidable engagement with said side rails.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said bed frames is provided with an end rail and said means comprises a pivot pin having a first portion journalled in said second post, said pivot pin having a second portion offset from said first portion and secured to said end rail.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said second portion is disposed normal to said first portion and is secured against axial rotation relatively to said end rail.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said first portion is of circular cross-section, said second portion is of non-circular cross section, and said end rail is apertured to conform to the cross-section of said second portion and receive said second portion.

8. In a folding bed structure, the combination of a plurality of frame units, connecting means for removably securing said units to each other to provide a generally rectangular frame, a first support post pivotally connected to each end of said frame inwardly of the sides of said frame and providing an axis of rotation therefor, a second support post pivotally connected to each end of said frame in parallel spaced relationship to said first support post, said second posts being movable into parallel abutments with said first posts in response to upward rotation of one side of said frame about its axis of rotation, and a counterweight carried by said frame adjacent the other side thereof, said counterweight being of a mass sufiicient to overbalance said frame when said frame is rotated to the limit of movement defined by the abutment of said posts.

9. A combination as defined in claim 8, including a safety bar pivotally connected to opposite sides of said frame in underlying relationship thereto, said safety bar having a portion offset from its axis of rotation, and said safety bar being rotatable out of the plane of said frame in response to counter-rotation of said frame from said upward limit of movement thereof.

10. In a folding bed structure, the combination of a generally rectangular frame, a first support post pivotally connected to each end of said frame inwardly of the sides of said frame and providing an axis of rotation therefor, a second support post pivotally connected to each end of said frame in parallel spaced relationship to said first post, means for limiting the upward rotation of one side of said frame about said axis of rotation, and a counterweight carried by said frame adjacent the other side thereof, said counterweight being of a mass sufficient to over-balance said frame in response to upward rotation of said one side to the limit of movement defined by said means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 580,359 Anthony Apr. 13, 1897 870,680 Karges Nov. 12, 1907 1,108,512 Miller Aug. 25, 1914 1,195,637 Anderson Aug. 22, 1916 1,602,679 Kibler Oct. 12, 1926 1,745,459 Sterbenz Feb. 4, 1930 1,944,909 Thomas Jan. 30, 1934 2,564,333 Kelley Aug. 14, 1951 2,858,551 Sidlinger Nov. 4, 1958 2,900,956 Hoffman Aug. 25, 1959 

